


Unique

by hilli98215



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Munkustrap is Mentioned, No Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27070738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hilli98215/pseuds/hilli98215
Summary: Tugger is looking for Mistoffelees after not seeing him all day. However, once he does, he finds his friend in such a state that makes him wonder what happened earlier.
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger (Cats)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Unique

**Author's Note:**

> This was a lot of fun to write. This popped up into my mind after looking at another prompt list. I hand wrote some of this and typed the rest. So you might see a bit of a style difference at some point.  
> A bit of info before reading:  
> This is the musical verse, not an AU.  
> Tugger and Misto are best friends rather than a pairing.  
> Age-wise, Mistofellees is the equivalent of someone in their late teens/early 20s. Tugger is the equivalent of someone in their early 20s.  
> This has the headcanon that when Mistoffelees gets overwhelmed or has trouble communicating his emotions, his magic builds and he goes to a clearing in the Junkyard to release his magic.  
> Dialogue prompt: “Unique is just another word for alone.”

It was late and Tugger was looking for a specific tuxedo cat. They had made plans earlier but Mistoffelees was called by his lovely brother for something. After that meeting, it was like his friend disappeared.

Tugger walked further until he noticed sparkles and bright colors coming from one of the many clearings in the Junkyard. This was something far from normal.

It was time for him to find a magician.

Tugger followed the sparkles and colors until he arrived at the clearing. What he saw would stay in his mind forever. 

In the center of the clearing stood disheveled Mistoffelees. His fur was messed. Tears ran down his face. His eyes were shut so tight, it looked painful. His usual pristine appearance. Gone.

‘What happened?’ thought Tugger. He knew in his mind that this wasn't Misto. This wasn't his best friend. But then he realized this could be from stress. Or he was scared. But of what?

He got closer to the clearing. Misto stood there with his arms tightly around him. It looked like he was close to hurting himself. It seemed like he was in fight or flight.

“Misto” He called out in a quiet voice. Something quite unusual for the normally loud tom.

“Tugger” Misto’s voice was soft and defeated. It cracked slightly as if he was yelling previously, “Why are you here?’

Tugger thought over his words carefully. He needed to be there for his friend. 

“Because you’re my best friend and I care about you.” He moved close. Close enough to see Misto open his eyes slightly. They were bloodshot from crying. 

Meanwhile, Mistoffelees stood deathly still. “Well,” he began, “as you can see I am perfectly fine.” 

Tugger knew that was a lie as Mistofellees took a deep breath. “Was it something my brother said to you?”

Misto shook his head.

Tugger stepped closer. They were only a few steps away from each other.

“It has nothing to do with Munkustrap.”

“Then what?” He took another step forward. “What is going on?” 

The other took a moment. Several moments to think of an answer.

A moment of silence passed until Tugger heard Misto say a single word, “Unique.”

“What?” Tugger needed to know if what he just heard was correct. 

Mistoffelees repeated himself, “Unique. I hate that word.” His black fur glowed with more sparkles as he became more agitated.

Tugger, knowing his friend has trouble showing his emotion towards others, asked “why don’t you explain to me why you hate that word.”

The other tom tried his best to relax as he began to talk, “It’s just me. Nevermind.”

At this point, Tugger decided to sit in front of Mistoffelees as a silent invitation to join him. Luckily, Misto accepted and settled on the ground. However, he kept his tight posture with his knees close to his chest and his arms held them in place. 

He swallowed tightly, worried that what he was going to say was going to destroy one of the few friendships he had in the tribe. For him, it was a chance he wanted to take. 

“All my life I’ve been called a unique cat because of my magic. I used to love being called that and I would perform tricks all the time.”

Tugger thought he saw Misto smile as he spoke about his past. 

“It wasn’t until Victoria and I were brought here by Uncle Bustopher, that I heard it more often.”

He remembered that day. It surprised them all when Bustopher Jones came to the Junkyard with his niece and nephew. Victoria quickly became part of the tribe but Mistoffelees had a harder time. He remembered how Misto would be nervous around others and often hid from everyone. Tugger saw this and knew he needed to be his friend. Munkustrap saw this as Tugger being impulsive but later learned this was probably the best thing to happen to his brother and the shy tuxedo cat.

“At first I thought it was because Victoria and I were so different. Then I overheard one of the elders talk about a magic cat that once lived in the tribe and caused everyone so much pain. Every time I showed my magic, they called it unique. But unique in a way that I could tell wasn’t any good.”

He paused and Tugger was left thinking. The latter knew this and figured Misto wasn’t finished. 

“Since then I haven’t done much magic. It’s usually for the kittens but nothing over the top. Nothing like I used to.”

This time Tugger interrupted, “Then why do I still have a feeling Munkustrap said something?”

The other paused. “He wanted to talk to me about the Jellicle Ball and if I could help him introduce Jenny this year.”

Tugger felt himself smile. “That’s a huge opportunity Misto. Did you say yes?”

The tom nodded, “Of course I said yes. This is the chance that everyone will see that my magic is anything but unique.”

“Then what caused this?” 

Mistofflees bit his lip trying to form words again. “I guess I came to the conclusion that the word unique is another word for alone. I’m the only one who can do this. I want it to be right. Everything with that word became overwhelming. I panicked and came here.”

“Can I give you a hug?” was the first thing that came out of Tugger’s mouth. He couldn't think of anything else. This was important right now.

His best friend’s head snapped up and his eyes widened at the simple question. It wasn't that he didn't want a hug. It was the suddenness of it. He met Tugger’s eyes and nodded.

Tugger proceeded to wrap his arms around Misto carefully. He didn't want to hug him too tightly. In his ears, he whispered, “You are never alone Mistoffelees. You have me, your sister, and the rest of the Tribe.” 

He pulled away, stared directly into Mistoffelees’ eyes, and continued, “Munk wouldn’t have asked for you to help if he didn’t know of your ability. You can do this.”

Instead of thanking Tugger for his kind words, he was still unsure. He stared down at his lap. “If you say I can do this, then why do I feel so alone?”

That was a question he didn't know how to answer. “Because you can do things no cat can. I know you are different than that other tom the elders were talking about. So different, in fact, I would say you are three words.”

By now, Mistoffelees’ full attention was on his friend. All he could think was that one word. What other words could describe him?

Tugger prepared himself as he spoke, “ Personally, I would describe you as magnificent, marvelous, and magical.”

That wasn’t what he expected. Misto smiled. He smiled wider than he did this morning. This was what he needed from his best friend. 

“Thank you, Tugger.” He initiated the hug and it was so tight, even Tugger had trouble breathing. 

“You’re welcome Sparkles,” Tugger called the other by the nickname he gave him when he first learned Misto had magic.

Misto released the hug and lightly pawed at Tugger’s arm. “Do not call me Sparkles.”

But Tugger knew he didn't mean it. He would call Misto Sparkles as much as he wanted to. 

Then an idea came to him, “How about we do what we planned earlier and go hunt for some food.”

Just as those words left his mouth, Misto’s stomach growled. He chuckled, “Well, I guess that’s a perfect plan.”

The two stood up and left the clearing with Mistoffelees with the understanding that no matter what happened to him, Rum Tum Tugger always had his back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot for reading! Like I said earlier this was a lot to write and was actually challenging. I haven’t written a friendship before when a lot of people hc these two as a ship. I had to make sure this wasn’t romantic but full of moments that were what you would in a friendship. And, according to Grammarly, the tone ended up being sad which actually goes along with the story so I have no problem with that one. Before I made changes, it was confident which only went with the last half of the story. Oh well.  
> If you want to find me on Tumblr, I am the-metaphorical-jellicle-cat


End file.
